M–50
Evansville, IndianaUnited States

68frbrd

M
Tonawanda, New YorkUnited States

1970 Pontiac GTO

“humbler”

1968 Pontiac Firebird coupe

“"kermit"”

Head to Head

About “humbler”

I was born in 1966 so I missed the musclecar era but my love affair of Pontiacs (particularly GTO’s) started at a very young age. I was brought home from the hospital in a brand new 1966 GTO. But this is not about me. This is about the 1970 GTO that I own.
I’ve always wanted a GTO but either they were sold before I could go and look, were to much money, or were way past my ability to bring back to life (You know the phone conversation “just needs paint” yeah bring boxes and a truck). In 1991, I had to sell my 1986 Buick Grandnational because of financial reasons (Bills before toys). So I had to get another car to drive to work and I decided to get a Pontiac.
I was looking through the local paper and found a 1970 GTO for $3,500. I found a dark green 1970 GTO (350hp 400, auto) with dark green interior and dark green vinyl top. What really interested me about the car was it was fully loaded (posi, pwr steering, pwr disc brakes, pwr windows, pwr locks, pwr trunk release, ac, am/fm radio, rally gauges, cruise control, tail light indicator, map lights). It was rough but not as bad as some that I looked at so I decide to take it for a test drive I thought if it runs I could work on the looks a little at a time. Well, it had no power at all. So with a heavy heart I drove away thinking will I ever own a GTO?
In 1996 I was driving home from work and in the front yard of a house was a beautiful palisade green with dark green interior and dark green vinyl top 1970 GTO for sale. I drove home and got the wife to look at the car (I probably broke a few traffic laws). The GTO was 90% done it was everything I was looking for. The lady came out and said her husband had done all the work. I asked how much she said $11,500 I thought I was going to cry the same old story dejected again I went home.
A year later I saw someone local was starting a GTO club so I called him and told him that I didn’t own a car but that I was interested in joining he said that was fine and to come out to the meeting at the local Pontiac dealership. They were having the meeting in the service bay and some of the members drove their cars. Sitting there was that palisade green GTO and it belonged to the president of the club. Him and me became good friends and I became newsletter editor for the club.
About a year later I was meeting with him to discuss what to put in the newsletter and he told me he was going to sell the GTO because he needed the money. After trying to talk him out of it I asked how much he was going to sell it for. My jaw probably hit the floor I said you know you can sell it for twice what your asking and he said yeah but I need the money. I told him give me Monday or Tuesday because I’m buying the car.
It took me all day Monday to find a bank that would loan money on a 1970 GTO. When we signed the title over he had some pictures of the car and gave them to me. Looking through them there was that dark green 1970 GTO that I had test-drove. I asked him if this was the same car and he said yes that was before it was restored.
So now I own the car that have looked at three times for sale (third times a charm). In 1998, my son was born and I went home and got the GTO and brought him home from the hospital. I figure like father like son.